Hey, I just found this nice blog. I noticed you had a lot of newspaper pictures and such. I was wondering if you had a picture of the Japanese newspaper response (to Game 3 at least)? Because that would be interesting to look at.

first time i've heard anyone swear on letterman since madonna! (maybe that's just the last time i watched letterman?) letterman seemed all taken aback and faux-worriful, and paps seemed slightly regretful for about a second and a half but then it was all good when he made him and the crowd laugh with 'bedazzler'! haha. i loved that ;)

Cannot wait to see what Manny is like for minutes at a time in front of a live studio audience.

yeah i didn't like how he did that like right away. too stagey and planned. it would have been better if letterman asked him to do it mid-interview or something. give it the air of spontaneity + a little build-up :)

sorry to be a downer, but enough with the dancing already, pap.a little forced at this point.manny and papi should be interesting.I REALLY wanted to see beckett, but he's too cool for it. i respect that about him.

Instead of $300 million for A-Rod if Mike Lowell leaves, maybe the Red Sox would consider dealing with Florida again by trading for Miguel Cabrera. The Marlins have quietly announced that they're shopping Cabrera, and this might be the best way to go (depending on who you give up for him) to fill 3B, and also get that power, middle-of-the-lineup bat.

I think there are 3 untouchables - LBJ, Double H and Lowrie(the young SS). Everybody else in the minors is fair game. Coco will definetly be on the trading block unless they feel he fills the 4th outfield spot and he agrees with that.

As for Cabrera, while his numbers look good there were some rumblings about his "work ethic / club house presence" this year.

Bot's dance was slightly corny and I could see it getting old if people keep doing it by the time April comes around, but I'll let him have his fun.

I have a bad feeling about all this air time the Sox are having. I mean I love the Sox and the additional publicity, but the last thing I want is a sell-out of the Bean and the Fens. QVC? I dunno guys...I mean it's ok if Dougie Goes Deep on QVC, but I'm worried Pap will become too large of an icon.

I know it sounds silly, but I just don't want the Sox to become as over-advertised as the MFY. We're supposed to be the yang to their yin in most if not all aspects.

And as far as Torre is concerned. I love seeing little slices of irony like that. I hope the Dodgers (provided they play the MFY) lay some serious whoop-ass on the Bronx with Torre at the helm with Mattingly alongside.

The difference with the Yankees and the Red Sox is that the Yankees are still trying to convince people (and are still acting like) they are the best franchise in all of sports. In all of the world. The grandeur of it all is what I dislike most about them. The boasting. The expectation. There is more parity in baseball now, and philosophies are changing and turning toward home-grown talent to help your own ballclub rather than currency for trades. It's been like this for a few years but those prospects are now making it to the Show, across the board, and there will be more teams in the hunt next year than there may ever have been before. We'll see on that.

I just don't want to see the Red Sox fans become too expectant on a World Series win every year. We're on cloud nine right now because the Red Sox have won 2 championships in 4 years. That's fantastic today! Since 2000, it's been the Yankees, Arizona, LA Angels, Florida, Red Sox, White Sox, Cardinals, and now the Red Sox again. And don't forget the teams that made it to the WS and lost.

Mets (2000), Giants (2002), Astros (2005), Tigers (2006), and of course, the Rockies. Yankees of course, lost 2001 and 2003, and the Cards, of course, lost 2004.

I just don't want to see the fans taking the World Series for granted, like the Yankees do. Every year there are more and more examples of just how hard it is to even make it to the Series. Unfortunately, the AL has had the clear advantage on the NL, and it's been since 2003 that a World Series has been very competitive and lengthy. 7 in 02, 7 in 03, sweep 04, sweep 05, 5 in 06, and sweep 07.

ish said:The difference with the Yankees and the Red Sox is that the Yankees are still trying to convince people (and are still acting like) they are the best franchise in all of sports. In all of the world.

Ish i would love to agree with you, but I beleive the Yankees are the richest and most winning franchise in the History of baseball......

I beleive the ownership group of this team knows that and doesn't just want to win 2 championships in 86 years....You have to built it and sustain it...if you don't you are the Marlins.....are they a great franchise, not buy any sense but they have 2 ws titles.....

If we are not supposed to take this for granted, then what really is the point of winning, I want and I'm sure a lot of fans want and expect another title next year....The bar ,as being a red sox fan, has been raised....

I don't want to hear about parody and things like that , because on paper right now we are the favorites to win again next year....

And the Bot , as terrible as it gets, can dance all he wants, as long as he is ready to go when he gets to Florida...

He has creatd himself a nice little persona...he's a friggin nutjob, but when he is on the mound ...........it's game over.....

Honestly, I cannot believe some people here are saying they don't like all the publicity, Pap dancing (too forced, who cares), doing the talk show circuit. These guys JUST WON THE WORLD SERIES. They swept their 2nd WS in 4 years! They should do everything and anything in the public eye that they want, enjoy it to the max, milk it for all its worth.

I just don't want to see the fans taking the World Series for granted, like the Yankees do.

If there ever comes a time when some Red Sox fans take a WS for granted, I say BRING IT ON.

I'm with 9Casey here. We're fans win or lose, but we don't have to act all humble and amazed that we won. We can strut and preen all we like. It's way past time to shed the underdog and loser images.

All this fear of becoming like the Yankees and like Yankees fans seems ridiculous to me. There are many aspects of Yankeeland that should be very welcome by RSN. Expecting to win - having a FO that always keeps their eyes on the prize - and in my opinion, big spending, although wise spending is key, and I think the Sox FO has shown their ability to do that, and plenty.

I know everyone here is fully enjoying the win, but why does there have to be negative mixed in, fear of losing some kind of identity, fear of success?

I am happy for the players to go out and party and do what they want (and make more money). Papelbon dancing is part of his charm. That whole loose clubhouse atmosphere is what makes the team special and not the MFY.

As for becoming like the MFY, I don't think the fans ever will take things for granted, but not because we expect to lose. Only because winning will always be exciting and new, year after year.

I do worry, however, about the front office buying superstar players just because they can without thinking about the overall mix and loose nature of the team. For example, I found this piece quite persuasive. It's in that way that I do not want the team to become like the Yankees: a mix of superstars who feel no connection to each other as individuals or to the team or its fans.

I do worry, however, about the front office buying superstar players just because they can without thinking about the overall mix and loose nature of the team.

I don't think we have to ever worry about that with the current management. There might have been that attitude at the end of Duquette's run when Harrington was leaning on him to do all sorts of shitty deals to try and win it all before Jean Yawkey died, but now that we have won two titles in four years, that will not happen -- at all.

I hope you are right about that, Allan, but you know that I believe that signing ARod would be a major step in that direction, as the article I finally found the link for discusses. You have indicated that you would like to see the team sign ARod, which would seem to be one step towards doing just what you say the front office would never do.

I guess I don't see Slappy the same way. Or I don't see one player as a trend towards anything.

This FO was set to bring him in before 2004.

An ESPN story says the MFY had to come to the table with a $350 million offer to talk with Slappy. If that is what is required for the Sox, I don't think they will be doing much talking. (I'm sure they have a # for A-Rod, over which they will not go. Just like they did with Damon and Pedro.)

The thing I never understood about the Yankees was , if it is such a privilege to play there why do people always get more money then they deserve to play there...Drew looks like a bargain next Abreu's 16 mil...

Also with Fat Billy if he was wanting to go there so bad why so much money?

Clemens also said during the broadcast where Suzyn Waldman oragsasmed all over chair, he told Kay at the end of the season he would tell the one main reason he came back to the yankees, I have not hear that reason yet?